Businesses and venues that still have social distancing

[philosopher]

I have just had a look at the websites of four well known museums and art galleries in London and all four of them are still restricting entry through the use of timed tickets. Three of them do allow walk ins, but say you may have to wait and entry is not guaranteed. One of them, the Tate Modern does not appear to allow walk ins at all.

Tesco also still seem to restrict entry through the use of traffic lights. My gym also is still insisting that visits have to be pre booked and half the cardio machines are not in use. Are there any other businesses and venues that still are restricting entry for social distancing reasons?

 

[Freightmaster]

I think most (all?) zoos still insist on pre-booking a 'time slot' for arrival even if you have an annual pass,
which is bonkers as zoos are mostly outdoors where social distancing is easy to maintain even on a busy day.

Covid heath and safety gone mad!



MARK

 

[greyman42]

I think most (all?) zoos still insist on pre-booking a 'time slot' for arrival even if you have an annual pass,
which is bonkers as zoos are mostly outdoors where social distancing is easy to maintain even on a busy day.

Covid heath and safety gone mad!



MARK

People should just boycott any business that persists with restrictions, or ignore the restrictions.

 

[bramling]

I have just had a look at the websites of four well known museums and art galleries in London and all four of them are still restricting entry through the use of timed tickets. Three of them do allow walk ins, but say you may have to wait and entry is not guaranteed. One of them, the Tate Modern does not appear to allow walk ins at all.

Tesco also still seem to restrict entry through the use of traffic lights. My gym also is still insisting that visits have to be pre booked and half the cardio machines are not in use. Are there any other businesses and venues that still are restricting entry for social distancing reasons?

Has anyone actually ever seen the Tesco traffic lights at red? I haven’t. It does seem like another “seen to do something” measure.

A lot of places are still doing the timed entry, though out of these more are now doing on-the-day but at your own risk in some cases. Being cynical, the pre booking is often non-refundable, which is no doubt why some places like it - they still get to keep the money if the weather is bad on the day.

 

[Ianno87]

Has anyone actually ever seen the Tesco traffic lights at red? I haven’t. It does seem like another “seen to do something” measure.

Personally, once in the entire pandemic on a Saturday afternoon earlier this year. And I was still in within 5 minutes or so.

That's it.

 

[Highlandspring]

Has anyone actually ever seen the Tesco traffic lights at red? I haven’t. It does seem like another “seen to do something” measure.

Yes, a few times. The last time I saw it a few weeks ago I just walked in anyway since the doors were still open and was shouted at like a naughty schoolboy by a woman standing outside, though the security guard by the door just shrugged and gave me a ‘what can you do?‘ sort of look.

 

[MikeWM]

Most big cinema chains (at least I know about Cineworld, Vue, Light) are still leaving empty seats between groups ‘for social distancing’.

Odeon, however, are not. Was in a sold-out screening (every seat taken) last week

 

[Hadders]

Tesco traffic lights are on permanent green, I believe.

 

[greyman42]

Tesco traffic lights are on permanent green, I believe.

None of the other big supermarkets have any restrictions so surely it would be madness for Tesco to persist with them?

 

[Highlandspring]

None of the other big supermarkets have any restrictions so surely it would be madness for Tesco to persist with them?

The Aldi along the road from me also still has them and just last week I saw them on red with a load of folk milling about outside. I’m in Scotland though, where businesses seem to have taken a less than enthusiastic approach to ditching social distancing so far since our government has stated it still expects ‘guidance’ to be followed as if it were law.

 

[Hadders]

None of the other big supermarkets have any restrictions so surely it would be madness for Tesco to persist with them?

Having spent hundreds of thousands installing them they're hardly going to remove them, especially if there is the chance of restrictions this winter.

They could switch them off but the easiest way is to leave them on green so that it provides some reassurance to more 'hesitant' customers.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

Redwings Horse Sanctuary (a publicly-funded charity; free to visit) is still limiting numbers through pre-booked places, and is asking visitors to abide by social distancing.

Understandable, however, as many of the staff are unpaid volunteers who are in their older years and therefore at a greater risk - and the employed staff (grooms, etc.) can't really afford to take too much time off for isolation and such, as the horses still need to be looked after and cared for regardless of whether anyone is there to do it or not!

And as a charity, I'm sure the money would be better off spent helping new residents than on emergency grooms.

 

[Smidster]

My office (A Central Government Department) is still persevering with Social Distancing which takes out 50% of desks.

It is the reason why our "return to the workplace" has been shelved indefinitely and in unlikely to change before next Spring.

 

[DelayRepay]

My office (A Central Government Department) is still persevering with Social Distancing which takes out 50% of desks.

It is the reason why our "return to the workplace" has been shelved indefinitely and in unlikely to change before next Spring.

You are lucky - our office has 66.6% of desks out of use (they are banks of six, with two opposite corners in use and the other four taped off).

Our local large shopping centre still has all their one way markers, and queueing paraphernalia but it's not in use. It was all all a bit strange anyway - you had to queue in the mall (indoors) to enter shops. Surely you're just as likely to spread Covid in an indoor queue, as in an indoor shop...

I am about to go to the local tip to dispose of rubbish. They still have limited numbers and a booking system, although they now claim the booking system is to stop businesses and people from other local authority areas getting in.

 

[Mojo]

Yes, a few times. The last time I saw it a few weeks ago I just walked in anyway since the doors were still open and was shouted at like a naughty schoolboy by a woman standing outside, though the security guard by the door just shrugged and gave me a ‘what can you do?‘ sort of look.

I have lots of times (at smaller ones not superstores or Extras), even when the shop is empty inside. It seems that they are very unreliable.

Tesco traffic lights are on permanent green, I believe.

I saw a Tesco Express (I wasn’t a customer, just driving past) on red 2 weeks ago, with a lady waiting outside.

 

[LAX54]

Has anyone actually ever seen the Tesco traffic lights at red? I haven’t. It does seem like another “seen to do something” measure.

A lot of places are still doing the timed entry, though out of these more are now doing on-the-day but at your own risk in some cases. Being cynical, the pre booking is often non-refundable, which is no doubt why some places like it - they still get to keep the money if the weather is bad on the day.

Our 'big' Tesco still has one way in, one way out in force, but to get to parts of the Car Park from the entrance, everyone (due to the one way system) has to squeeze past each other on the narrow path just outside......even narrower when they put plants on trolleys there too !

 

[londonteacher]

People should just boycott any business that persists with restrictions, or ignore the restrictions.

It's not always a bad thing. Cineworld do it and it's nice to have a bit of extra space. The screenings are either full (with the spaces) or plenty of space anyway. I actually hope they keep this up as it improves the cinema experience!

 

[nlogax]

It's not always a bad thing. Cineworld do it and it's nice to have a bit of extra space. The screenings are either full (with the spaces) or plenty of space anyway. I actually hope they keep this up as it improves the cinema experience!

Meanwhile I wonder what effect that's having on their business.

 

[Ianno87]

Meanwhile I wonder what effect that's having on their business.

If they're making profit, I doubt they care. A cinema doesn't have to be even close to full capacity to be profitable.

 

[zero]

I went to the big Tesco in Earls Court / Kensington earlier this week.

I and another shopper arrived at the same time and due to social pressure from each other we both walked past the "exit" door to the "entry" door. It was red and wouldn't open (I didn't know they were still doing this - I rarely shop at Tesco).

20 seconds later an unkempt poorly dressed man walked straight in through the "exit" door... So we both shrugged and headed back round to the "wrong" door.

 

[MikeWM]

If they're making profit, I doubt they care. A cinema doesn't have to be even close to full capacity to be profitable.

Indeed, and ticket prices nowadays are an almost negligible part of their revenue.

However, on the rare occasions that they'd expect to see multiple screens sold-out - ie. the first weekend of a new blockbuster - the corresponding decrease in sales of massively overpriced food and drink will hurt their bottom line somewhat. I suppose it depends on how much people are likely to come back for a screening on another day if it is sold out when they were first intending to go.

Actually I'm all for space in the cinema and actively seek out less busy screenings in general - always have, nothing to do with Covid. The Odeon experience I referred to above was a pleasant novelty in these times, but not one I'd want to repeat too often

 

[davews]

At our Tesco there seems an issue with the 'exit' doors which have been stuck half open for the past few days. I would not be surprised if they soon remove some of the piles of barbecue bricks so that people can go via the 'entrance' doors. And having done that leave it that way.

 

[Bald Rick]

Has anyone actually ever seen the Tesco traffic lights at red? I haven’t. It does seem like another “seen to do something” measure.

Yes, regularly, but in Scotland.

 

[Butts]

Yes, regularly, but in Scotland.

My Tesco in Falkirk must be the exception to the rule, I've never seen "Red".

However M&S Food used to have a Gaulieter "clicking people in and out" on the door.

 

[Busaholic]

However M&S Food used to have a Gaulieter "clicking people in and out" on the door.

Is that an official with a penchant for French fags?

 

[317 forever]

I mentioned this in another thread before noticing this thread, where my point would be more relevant.

Despite the lockdown easing, I have come across a restriction that may be a Covid restriction not yet eased. At the Beatles Story Museum we need to pre-book our visit online and pay then. They will only allow people who turn up suddenly to enter if space permits. We used to be able to turn up and pay whenever we wanted.

I expect this is a social distancing measure.

 

[MikeWM]

Most big cinema chains (at least I know about Cineworld, Vue, Light) are still leaving empty seats between groups ‘for social distancing’.

...or at least they claim they are, but I was at a Cineworld screening yesterday where they were definitely *not* doing that, every seat was available (and adjacent seats were definitely taken by people in different groups).

So I think they may have quietly dropped this (probably in anticipation of sold-out James Bond screenings?).


Edit : a quick trawl of archive.org shows that Cineworld (very quietly!) dropped this policy about a week ago, and all seats are indeed now bookable.

Vue and Light appear the same.

So, it does look like 'social' distancing has finally gone from the cinemas - the major chains, at least.

 

[londonteacher]

I mentioned this in another thread before noticing this thread, where my point would be more relevant.

Despite the lockdown easing, I have come across a restriction that may be a Covid restriction not yet eased. At the Beatles Story Museum we need to pre-book our visit online and pay then. They will only allow people who turn up suddenly to enter if space permits. We used to be able to turn up and pay whenever we wanted.

I expect this is a social distancing measure.

It does make for a more enjoyable experience when places are not rammed as they were.

 

[bramling]

It does make for a more enjoyable experience when places are not rammed as they were.

The irony is I’ve found places consistently more rammed over the last year than would have traditionally been the case at certain times.

The only time I have found somewhere pleasantly empty was when we had Warwick Castle more or less to ourselves, and that was IIRC in the week before the March 2020 lockdown. I seem to remember we were there a day or two before they voluntarily closed. Certainly an enjoyable experience as this is one of those places rarely non-busy.

 

[Yew]

So, it does look like 'social' distancing has finally gone from the cinemas - the major chains, at least.

Unless you go to an evening showing of something that was released a few weeks ago, in which case you might have a whole cinema to yourself